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Public sector employees cash in sick days (Part 1)

When it comes to sick days at work, for most workers, it's use them or lose them.

Many government and school district jobs that rely on tax dollars to balance budgets are handing out big checks to employees for sick days they never used.

Kindergarten was spared this year in the Harrisburg School District, but there was a time when it's future was uncertain.

As district leaders faced a $16 million budget shortfall, a special delivery of cash for struggling schools from state lawmakers in the state budget deal saved the program.

Last year, the Harrisburg School District paid more than $410,000 to 50 retiring employees for sick time they had accumulated, but never used.

One retiring teacher received a taxpayer-funded check for unused sick days totaling more than $34,000.

That's just $4,000 shy of the average annual salary for a Pennsylvania worker.

Other district retirees received checks for $22,000, $23,000 and $25,000 just for bankrolling hundreds of sick days and cashing out at retirement.

"We have school districts laying off teachers, taxes going up on working Pennsylvanians. The simple fact of the matter is it's unaffordable. It has to be reformed," said Matt Brouillette of the Commonwealth Foundation.

Brouillette said these "sick time paydays" are a common perk for public sector workers but a rare benefit for workers in private industry, where sick time is usually use-it-or-lose-it.

"It's time we address these bad policies that are going to lead to more layoffs, higher taxes," Brouillette said.

In response to News 8's investigation, the director of human resources for Harrisburg schools said in a statement: "The majority of our workforce is unionized, so we are bound by terms of collective bargaining agreements that were negotiated in very different economic times."

Defenders of the practice point out that when a teacher is sick, the district has an added expense of paying a substitute and they argue a financial incentive reduces the number of days used.

"I think that's why we fight so hard," said Kathy Jellison of Service Employees International Union Local 668.

Public schools are not alone in payouts. Employees for several government sectors also receive similar compensation.

"We are public sector employees. We don't make the same money as private sector workers," Jellison said. "I do think that's the case and we make it up in benefits often."

Jellison said the payouts are an incentive for public employees to be at work and not everyone is eligible. Payouts gradually increase, the longer a retiree worked at the same place.

When asked if she thought these employees were being greedy, Jellison said, "No, I believe it's a protection for employees and it's a negotiated benefit so both sides agree it's not just one side. Management sits at the table as well."

Critics of these sick time paydays are quick to point to labor unions as the problem, but in some cases, non-unionized workers are the ones getting the biggest checks.

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